Minister Martin approves over €300k in funding for local and regional museums
- Published on: 18 June 2021
- Last updated on: 11 April 2025
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., has today announced a series of small grants for local and regional museums around the country. Total funding of €310,225 is being made available under the Regional Museum Exhibitions Scheme 2021.
All thirty two projects that applied this year are benefitting, including Tipperary Museum of Hidden History which will exhibit the Museum's Hidden Gems, and Old Cork Waterworks Experience that is recreating a permanent representation of the boiler house as it would have been during its working life circa 1863-1940.
Speaking today, Minister Martin said:
“I am delighted to be able to offer this support to all of these local and regional bodies and to be part of creating new and vibrant exhibitions and online events.
Our local and regional museums are an extremely important resource for culture and heritage in towns and villages across the country. They are vital within the community and it is imperative that we support their role in our cultural heritage.
Funding provided under this scheme over the past few years has allowed local and regional bodies to continue to enhance their exhibitions which improves the cultural offering for their communities and visitors.
These cultural entities often run on modest budgets. They are such a wonderful outlet for the Irish people, especially in this time of uncertainty. I am very pleased to be able to support their renewal and development.
As they re-open and recover, our cultural bodies can again offer their exhibitions and presentations along with the interesting new features for which support is being provided today.”
Notes
Please see below full list of successful projects:
| Applicant | County | Project Description | Amount of funding proposed |
| Limerick Museum | Limerick | Limerick Lace: From Design to Makers | 3,000 |
| LAMN | Monaghan | Development of a collective website to promote networks activities which are undertaken across the country | 5,500 |
| Butler Gallery | Kilkenny | Digitisation of the Butler Gallery's collection | 7,600 |
| The Hunt Museum | Limerick | An exhibition commemorating the work of two Irish artists | 15,000 |
| The Ballinglen Arts Foundation | Mayo | Exhibition: On a North West Shore | 9,375 |
| The Model | Sligo | Exhibition: Jack Butler Yeats; Salt Water Ballads | 10,500 |
| Cork Butter Museum | Cork | A multi-disciplinary exhibition on Medieval history of butter, working with printmakers and woodwork sculpture | 7,500 |
| Kerry Writers' Museum | Kerry | In-house and online exhibition entitled ' Raising the curtain on Kerry's Amateur Drama Heritage' | 8,750 |
| Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum | Limerick | Taste of history exhibition | 3,600 |
| Waterford Treasures Museum | Waterford | Research and mount new exhibitions celebrating Waterford sport in the Bishop's Palace to enhance the cultural offering and increase access | 10,500 |
| The Glucksman | Cork | Enhance the UCC Art Collection website, create a dedicated art library website and new digital resources | 15,000 |
| Little Museum of Dublin | Dublin | Curate a video exhibition that offers a fresh insight into the museum's collection | 12,000 |
| Marsh's Library | Dublin | Exhibition: The Wild Elephants of St Patrick's Close | 2,650 |
| Science Gallery Dublin | Dublin | BIAS' programme | 10,500 |
| Cavan & Leitrim Railway | Leitrim | Enhancement of railway track | 6,000 |
| Kerry County Museum | Kerry | New features to the Tom Crean Polar room | 15,000 |
| Deaf Heritage Centre Ireland | Dublin | Develop and produce a number of short videos on deaf culture and deaf folklore | 13,500 |
| Carlow County Museum | Carlow | Conservation, mounting and framing of an 1899 tablecloth | 4,100 |
| The GAA Museum | Dublin | Custom design wall mounted piece for the original framed 1916 proclamation of the Irish Republic | 3,375 |
| National Print Museum | Dublin | Making a book | 15,000 |
| Allihies Parish Co-operative Society | Cork | Upgrade of the audio visual system and website | 11,400 |
| Irish Heritage Trust | Roscommon | Exhibition entitled 'Famine to Freedom' (Strokestown Park) | 11,150 |
| Sirius Arts Centre | Cork | Research, conservation, digitisation and display of the original 1853 architectural drawings of the organisation's building | 10,000 |
| Johnstown Castle | Wexford | Exhibition: The Forgotten Labour Struggle - Wexford's 1911 Lock Out | 10,000 |
| Galway City Museum | Galway | A large and detailed model of the famous Claddagh village | 9,000 |
| County Museum Dundalk | Louth | Exhibition 'Faraway Hills' | 12,000 |
| Highlanes Gallery | Louth | Publish and exhibit extensive research and curation on the life and work of Nano Reid | 13,500 |
| Fota House/Irish Heritage Trust | Cork | An exhibition to showcase the historic wallpaper collection held in archive at Fota House under the governance of the Irish Heritage Trust | 13,200 |
| Passage West Maritime Museum | Cork | Digitise tapes of Passage West citizens and provide a listening station | 775 |
| Tipperary Museum of Hidden History | Tipperary | Exhibition: Tipperary Museum's Hidden Gems | 15,000 |
| Old Cork Waterworks Experience | Cork | Recreate a permanent representation of the boiler house as it would have been during its working life circa 1863-1940 | 15,000 |
| Jackie Clarke Collection Mayo County Council | Mayo | Jackie Clarke's Civil War collection | 10,750 |
| 310,225 |